Printing apparatus



Aug. 2, 1938. I G. G. JOHNSON ET AL 2,125,346

PRINTING APPARATUS Filed July 1, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l *1 3 r 5g I 1 I E ztt rneg G. G. JCHNSON ET AL 5,346

PRINTING APPARATUS Filed July 1, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M m ,W m Q o o a m nu w Wm M a o o 0 e n m g" v mm 6% 7 a; 2 W am w h, WHT w n m W a n .nm 0 WW kw kw a Z I a 6 3V 8 m QVWGH N \\\\\\\\\-I QNQN Q i vw Aug. 2, 1938.

Patented Aug. 2, 1938 UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE PRINTING APPARATUS Glenn G. Johnson and Raymond J. Maller,

()elwein, Iowa Our invention relates to improvements in printing. apparatus, and particularly to that species used for reticulated screen process printing.

An object of our improvements. is to combine with a platen a screen holder adjustab-ly hinged to a basal frame for the platen, with means for relatively adjusting the platen upon the. frame either longitudinally or laterally, and also likewise adjusting the platen to the screen holder.

Another object of our improvements is to provide devices for releasably lockingv the screen holder in a raised position.

Another object of our improvements is tofurnish a plurality of resiliently controlled disappear- .ing guide stops in apertured seats in the platen, of which one stop is mounted for longitudinal adjustments therealong.

Another object of our improvements is to supply manually actuable means conjointly acting to 20 lower said stop devices together while simultaneously unlocking the raised screen holder to permit its descent toward the platen. 7

Another object of our improvementsis to provide means for even adjustments of the rocker ,screen holder to accommodate it to piles of stock of different thickness.

Other improvements will be more specifically alluded to and described hereinafter.

As various possible embodiments might be made ,of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limit 5. ing sense.

Fig. l is a top plan of our printing apparatus, with the major portions of the screen and screen holder broken away, both represented as in a lowered position. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan of the 40, platen with certain portions of the mechanism mounted thereon and as dissociated from other elements thereof. Fig. 3 is a top plan of the frame and an auxiliary frame mounted thereon, with the platen, screen holder and some parts of .the mechanism removed. Fig. 4 is a front elevation, with some medial parts broken away, of the adjustable screen holder supports and certain elements of the mechanism. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of certain portions of said supports and mechanism, while Fig. 6 is an opposite side elevation of themechanism shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7' is a detail elevation of one of the jointed post and arm devices included in the different means for adjusting the auxiliary frame and platen thereon ,;longitudinal1y, and laterally, with parts broken away. Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross section, with parts in elevation, of one of the two similar operating devices employed in resiliently returning the side stops to extended positions above the platen, the view showing one of the stops as extended normally above the platen, but the device shown being shown in an inverted position toconform to the showing thereof in said Fig. 2.

, Like numerals of reference denote like elements throughout the several views.

This device is particularly designed for printing sheets piled upon the platen 3 including the use of a finely meshed silk or metallic wire screen stretched and held tensionally and flatly in a screen holder 49 mounted hingedly on the rear part of the hollow frame i. As the invention of this apparatus is devoted to the above use, no other or associated devices are shown herein, except as shown in the drawings and description thereof herein.

In the main frame, the side bars I are con nected by end bars 38 and 39, with inner cross bars 4 and 5, spaced below the others. The upper or auxiliary frame 2 is mounted movably upon the main frame, their hollows in communication. Like cross-bars 30 and 3! in front and 35 and 36 at the rear, are secured on the lower face of the frame member 2 to project laterally and are loose on the side bars of the main frame, but seated under clip-bars 28 and 29 in front and 32 and 31 at the rear. The clip-bars are longitudinal, bowed and held by end screws. Thus the bars 30, 3| and 35 and 36 are held by the clip-bars, but the former may slide under the clip-bars adjustingly. The platen 3is screwed at 48 at the corners of the frame 2.

By separate but similar means the frame 2 may be adjusted on the base frame I longitudinally, laterally or askew'. A threaded stem l3 with knurled head I 4' is seated in an interiorly threaded bearing member i311 mounted in the forward cross-bar of the frame 2, and has at its inner end a coned termination ending in a ball at 132 seated in a fitting cavity in the forward end of a longitudinal arm I I having its rear part I lb bent downwardly and seated in a bearing hole H0 in an upwardly bowed medial part 9 of a plate I!) screwed at 8 to the bar 1. The screw l3 may be used to shift theframe 2 to and fro longitudinally. Like installations are provided on the right side of the frame 2 near front and rear ends to adjust it laterally or askew, to register it and the platen 3 with the screen holder above. These are shown respectively at 20, 2|, l9, l8, and ll and [6 on the bar 6-, at the front. At the rear the corresponding ball and socket joints as shown at I2 are used,

or other mechanical equivalents such as the furcated joint shown in Fig. 7 are employed, all of the adjustments of the frame 2 may be effected without binding either of these assemblies, so that any adjustments of the frame may be made as desired. As none of these adjustments are of large extent, other uses of the platen connections or devices such as the arrangements of the disappearing stops 42, 44 and 46 and'their operating means are not interfered with.

Set-screws 33 and 34 respectively clamp diagonally opposite clip-bars 32 and 29 to clamp releasably the lateral slide-bars 32 and 3| in any of adjusted positions to hold the frame 2 rigid in an adjusted position.

The screen holder 49 being mounted for vertical adjustments at either rear corner on the main frame I to the rear of the auxiliary frame 2, all these elements as above described may be associated in relative positions as above stated for working purposes.

Referring to Figs. 1, 4 to 6 inclusive, the screen holder 49 is shown as adjustably mounted at opposite rear corners. The mountings are alike, with base members 565I reversed in position. The standards 56 have threaded stems 66. The like parts 56 and 59 are spaced apart with knurled nuts 58 and II between them respectively, while like nuts 6| and ID are also on said stems for locking purposes, the first pair for adjusting the bearing members 56 and I2 vertically, as engaged with faces of the bracket members 62 and 66 on the upper ends of the stems 66. By these means the screen holder may have either rear corner part adjusted separately as desired.

Laterally spaced bearing members 53 and 64 are rockably mounted on the elements 62 and 66 and are seated on the end parts of a shaft 63 whose opposite ends are fixed in the members. 62 and 66, which latter are held in desired adjustments by the lock-nuts 6| and 10 respectively. The member 64 is kept from endwise shifting along the fixed shaft 63 by means of a ring held by a set-screw 65. The members 53 and 64 respectively (Figs, 1, 4, 5 and 6) have transverse bodies 52 fixed thereon traversed by the threaded stems 54 having thereon the stop nuts 55, and bodies 5| seat therethrough the opposite parts of the stems 54. The bodies 5| and 52 carry respectively the opposed jaws 5Ia and 52a, which as shown in Fig. 1 grasp the rear bar 49 of the screen holder clampingly.

Referring to Figs. 1, 4, 5 and 6, the left-hand body 52a has a forward'cam-edged projection I3 with a notch I4 below the cam. A rearwardly bent arm '78 on the fixed body 66 has a depending swingable arm 11 pivoted at its upper end thereto, and a link I6 is pivotally connected to and between the arm 11 and the. cam 73. A fixed hanger I9 on the body 66 has its lower end split and channeled to seat therethrough a corrugated end is connected to the lower end of the depending arm 11, and a set-screw 79a in the lower part of the hanger l9 acts to clamp the split parts thereof tightly upon the tube 88. As shown in Fig. 2, the tube 88 is below the level of the platen 3, and is carried thereunder through an aperture not shown in the rear cross-bar of the auxiliary frame 2 as shown in full lines in Fig. 3, at 2a. I5 is a depending catch-arm hung swingingly upon the fixed member 66, having a toothed part 8| and swingable to at times ride on the edge of the cam "I3 and drop into engagement with the notch I4 therein, as a locking device. The lower part of the catch-arm 15 is connected by a coil spring 80 to the top of the main frame I, tending to retain the tooth 8| in engagement with the cam notch, as well as when riding upon the. cam edge, yieldingly.

Referring to said Fig. 3, the numeral denotes a longitudinal rock-shaft mounted near its opposite ends in apertured bearings as at 86 on the main frame I, and has at its forward end a crank arm 8'! for manually rocking it. The rear end of the shaft 85 has a crank 83 with pin seated in a bearing hole in the bent link 82 which is connected pivotally at its opposite end to the lower end of said arm I5. As shown in Figs. 4., 5 and 6, when the rock shaft 85 is normally rocked by the action of the spring 86 connected to the hanger "I5, and link 62 with the rear crank 83, the hanger detent is engaged in the notch 14 of the cam I3, so that the furcations 5Ia and 52a with the screen holder 49 are locked in a raised position to clear the platen 3. When the crank arm8'I is rocked outwardly, the above train of connections from the shaft 85 to the hanger I5 is moved in a direction to withdraw and unlock the detent 8| from the cam notch I4, so that the screen holder 49 drops downwardly toward the platen 3, placing the reticulated screen 59 in parallelism therewith.

When the screen holder is manually lifted the hanger part 6| rides upon the cam edge until it engages the notch I4 again, under tensional action of the spring 66, and the rock-shaft85 is returned to its outwardly rotated position shown in Fig. 3. By these means the screen holder may be quickly raised and automatically locked, or lowered by rocking outwardly the shaft crank 87, which disengages the detent 8| from the cam notch I4. I I

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 8, in Fig. 1 the'platen 3 has a relatively long longitudinal slot 46 near its left hand edge, seating therethrough a vertical bar stop 42 mounted for vertical movements at times to project. above the platen 3, and at other times to disappear below the upper face of the platen, to clear it. This stop 42 is mounted slidably vertically in edge hollows ifila in a bearing body I01 beneath and slidably mounted longitudinally in a lateral slideway of spaced bars 3a mounted along the under face of the platen. Fig. 8, on a larger scale, shows the bearing member I61 as shown in Fig. 2 inverted.

A. knurled head on a threadedstem has the latter mounted in a plate I I4 alongside the upper.

bar of the pair 3a and this stem traverses loosely and is held by a sleeve stop thereon. The bar I I4 has a spaced pair of arms H5 and H6, and the slideway IO'I is connected between these arms and carries an oppositely directed arm I0 having a bearing aperture seating one end of a longitudinal rock-shaft I63. The slideway I61 has an arm I65, and on the shaft I03 an arm I 63a is mounted having a terminal pin I636 passed through a slot 42a in the stop member 42 for free play therein. On the bearing portion of the arm I93a on a squared part of the shaft I03 is a quartering arm I06 connected by a coiled tension spring I08 to the slideway I01.

Longitudinally spaced arms 95 and 96 are fixed by bolts to and between the side bars 3a in contact with the under face of the platen 3, and a cross connection between these arms includes a slideway like the other slideway I01, but fixed instead of adjustably mounted. The platen 3 has a bar stop 44 passed vertically and movably through an aperture 43 and like that shown in Fig. 8 inverted, an arm 99 being fixed on the shaft I03 having a like end pin passed through a slot in the stop 44, and a tensioning spring I09 is connected between the member 99 and the lower bar 30:. The stop 42 is movable to and fro longitudinally in the slot 40 adjustably, but the stop 44 which is longitudinally alined with it is not so movable. The springs I08 and I09 normally act upon these stops to project their upper parts above the upper surface of the platen 3.

There is provided a means for rocking the shaft I03 to tension the springs which act upon the aforesaid stops, as also a third stop 46 which is seated through a rectangular slot 45 in the platen 3, but being a head stop thereon for the upper ends of a pile of sheets which can be placed in contact at one side with the said stops 42 and 44. This third stop and its slideway is similar to that of the others as shown in Fig. 2, hence will not be further described.

The stop 46 is connected by means of a pin to one end of an arm 98 whose opposite end is pivoted to the cross-bar 96. An arm I02 is fixed on the rock-shaft I03 and carries a crank IIO having a pin traversing a medial hole in the arm 98. A wire link IOI is connected between the other end of the arm I02 and an adjacent end of a lever SI which is pivotally medially mounted on a fixed support 92 being part of the member 94. The opposite end of this lever is connected to the wire 89 which traverses the curved bearing tube 80, and whose outer end (Fig. 5) is connected to the lower end of the depending arm 17, the latter medially pivoted to the link I6 which has its opposite end pivoted to the cam member I3.

By means of the aforesaid elements and connections, all three of the stops 46, 44 and 42 are simultaneously actuated, while tensioning the springs I08 and I09 when the wire 89 is drawn rearwardly to rock the lever 9| to oppositely pull in one direction the link IOI, arm I02, thus rocking the shaft I03 with its arms I03a and 99, and also swinging downwardly the arm 98 to depress the stop 46. The above actions are initiated, when the above elements are set in train and movement as the shaft 85 is rocked outwardly by means of its crank 81 manually, its opposite crank 83 moving the connection 82 outwardly while tensioning the spring 80 and swinging the arm I5 also outwardly releasing the detent 8I from the cam notch I4, and the unlocked cam permitting descent of the screen holder 49. When the screen holder is then swung up, the cam rides over the detent 8| which the tensioned spring 80 acts to reengage the detent with the notch I4, to lock the screen holder as raised. The returning cam then by means of the above described connections to the arm or lever 9|, aided by release of tension of the springs I08 and I09, rocks the arms 42, 44 and 46 on the shaft I03, thus returning the stops to project above the platen, the apparatus being thus reset for the printing of another sheet on a pile positioned thereon in contact with the stops.

We claim:

1. In a device of the character described, in combination, a hollow basal frame, a hollow platen frame mounted movably thereabove, a platen fixed thereupon, supports fixed within and upon the basal frame, interiorly threaded bearings fixed across the front and one side member of the platen frame independently, set-screws mounted in said bearings and having diminished inner terminations, arms having socketed ends loosely fitting upon the inner terminations of said set-screws respectively and rockably mounted at their opposite ends upon said frame supports, arms fixed on the under faces of the forward and rear parts of the platen frame to project laterally therefrom across and upon the side parts of said basal frame, and clips secured to the basal frame and receiving therethrough the outwardly projecting portions of the platen frame arms, whereby either or all of said set-screws may be employed to adjust the position of the platen frame as desired upon the basal frame.

2. In a device of the character described, in combination, a basal frame, a platen frame positioned thereabove, threaded fixed standards mounted upon the rear part of the basal frame and spaced laterally apart, said standards each having and including a fixed Ushaped part hav ing internally threaded vertically alined end bearings, screw shafts mounted through said bearings, nuts mounted upon said screw shafts within said U-shaped parts, a rock-shaft between and rockably mounted upon the top parts of said screw shafts loosely, nuts on the screw shafts movable to support the ends of the rock-shaft in independently adjusted positions, a screen-containing frame above said platen, clamping arms on said rock-shaft releasably clamped upon the rear part of the screen-frame, and means for manually releasably locking said rock-shaft in an elevated position.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination, a basal hollow frame, a platen hollow frame mounted adjustably thereupon, a screen carrying frame mounted upon the rear part of the basal frame adjustably above the platen frame, a platen removably mounted upon the platen frame, the platen having a slot alongside one edge thereof, and also having a transversely spaced pair of bearing apertures alongside the rear edge thereof, guides traversing said slots mounted for projection simultaneously above the platen or for subsidence below the upper face thereof, the guide in the side slot being also mounted for movements to and fro adjustably therealong, and manually operable mechanism mounted on and below the platen, flexibly separately interlinked with the guides resiliently, and also releasably interlocked with the screen carrying frame.

GLENN G. JOHNSON. RAYMOND J. MALLER. 

